SEAN's Visit to Ogoni......Revealed the Angony of the people.

                                                     Field Report: 005

                                                     Location: Ogoni Land (Goi and Bodo communities)

                                                     Reporter: National Secretariat

                                                     Date: 21^st of March, 2014

                            Supervised by: Ubrei-Joe M. Mariere and Kentebe Ebierador 

At 7.30 am on the 21^st of March, 2014 all the participants assembled in front of Pre-Degree Hall, site III Delta State University, Abraka the take off point to Ogoni Land (Bodo and Goi communities) in Rivers State. The Bus (30 seater coaster) left the take off point at exactly 8. 00 am with about 30 persons on board. While leaving, Mr. George Obinna a participant from University of Benin, Benin-City said the opening prayer after which the newly elected National Coordinator Abang Fredrick from Cross River State University of Science and Technology gave a speech and thanked everyone for keeping to time. Also speaking, Ubrei-Joe M. Mariere addressed everyone and told them the purpose of the field trip. He said the essence of the trip is for the participants who have been undergoing training for the past three days to gain practical experience and to see for themselves what they have been hearing as story about the Niger Delta. He said when those that have been to gas flare and oil spill site will be narrating the ordeal others who have not seen such might not take the issue seriously.

He said Ogoni Land used to be a very sensitive ecosystem many decades ago but today that viable land is termed polluted and a highly contaminated and risk zone. He also said that the unimplemented UNEP Report on Ogoni land has it that benzene and hydrocarbons are 900 times above WHO standard. He noted that the report stated it very clear that ground water, surface water and even the soil are polluted. Ubrei-Joe said that the report also stated that it will take 35 years for Ogoniland to be remediated, that is 5 years to clean up the land then 3o years to clean up the water.

Seyon Tonueyi noted that the whole story of the pollution in the Niger Delta is as a result of Capitalism. He said Capitalism is a system of government where the power of the nation is given to few persons who pursue nothing more but profit while the true owners of the resources suffers. He also said capitalist economy promotes pollution, corruption and underdevelopment of the people and their nation.

Also speaking, Titigbe Onyekachi facilitated a discussion in the Bus using the Students Environmental Assembly Nigeria Model Handbook, he looked at what SEAN stand for, the history, the philosophy, the thematic areas and how to establish SEAN in ones institutions. This discussion was on from Ughelli till we got to Port Harcourt.

At Port Harcourt Mr. Kentebe Ebiaridor a Project Officer in ERA/FoEN joined us in the bus and took the lead till we got to Ogoniland and back to Port Harcourt where he left us. He said we are going to visit two communities, Bodo City and Goi community, he said in Goi community S            hell is doing remediation and noted it was a good avenue for the participants to ask constructive questions about what is happening.

At Bodo City

Bodo was the first community we visited. At Bodo we met Chief Sylvester, who addressed the students and told them the story about the evil of oil exploration on them.

Chief Sylvester about 65 years old

Our land was good and we did not care about the government, we used to feed from our land produce. Most of the beautiful structure you see was built by our fisher men. In 2008/2009 oil spill made the situation worse, when Friends of the Earth visited us they were astonished at what they saw. In this community we breath hydrocarbon, inhale hydrocarbon, sleep in hydrocarbon, eat hydrocarbon, drink hydrocarbon and when we die we are being buried in hydrocarbon. Since we have been impacted with this environmental devastation no one has come to our rescue, though some NGOs have come to assist us seek for justice. At the moment we have a case with Shell in the court in Europe and the case is still undecided yet. Eight (8) persons die every day in the community from strange ailments, our people are so poor that they cannot go to the hospital for check up or treatment.

Sir what is the state of the UNEP Report, any effort for its implementation?

No one has heard anything from Shell or government concerning the implementation of the report. It will amaze you that we still experience oil spill here despite the fact that the oil in Ogoniland has been left in the soil. The last spill that happened here, it took Shell about 92 days to stop the spill and people died in the process.

Sir, can you tell us something about the community?

Bodo city in Gokana L3ocal Government Area of Rivers State comprises of 32 villages with a population of about 69,000 persons. Bodo people are very friendly and we have had over 300 foreign visitors due to the activities of Shell. So many of such visitors are researchers, NGOs and other agencies, they come here for one reason or the other. The major causes of oil spillage in this community have been equipment failure. I want  to inform you that all the oil produced in this nation runs through the through the Trans- Niger pipeline to the export terminal where crude oil is loaded in vessels and taken away from the country. The said pipeline is over 50 years and they are due for replacement but nothing of such has been done. The spill caused by the equipment failure has destroyed our Mangrooves forest, killed crabs, fishes and other important creatures along the water shores.

What effort have you people made so far as a community?

We have long been suffering, the entire Niger Delta people are suffering and we have refused to remain silent. The ogoni people have been appealing to government and international communities to come to our aid, this is the only thing we can do. We are also building resistance to ensure that the legacy of Ken Saro-wiwa is maintained.

 What are the other things that the community people experience?

We lack food in this community because in 2003 and 2004 there were series of spills that destroyed farm lands, water and other major sources of livelihood and the entire ecosystem of the Ogoniland. There is no water in the community, yet Shell uses their administrative strategy to cause division among us so that they will not pay compensation to us. People die due to respiratory problem and the life span of our people is very short. There is high level of conspiracy on the path of the government, they make a lot of money from oil but they cannot give appropriate account of what they get. Shell confirmed that the soil is polluted upto 15 feet deep down the soil but what they claim they are treating in Goi is just 2 feet deep.

Visit to Goi Community

On our visit to Goi community one of the polluted communities in Ogoniland it was revealed to us that Shell is doing remediation work on the polluted land and stream. At the site we met the site supervisor by name Mr. Stanley who briefed us on their activities on site.

Mr. Stanley what is going on here in this spill site?

As you can see we are working on the site, you can see our tractors and staff on duty. We are a remediation company contracted by Shell to clean up this spill as their part of Social Corporate Responsibility.

What method of remediation are you applying?

Well it is called bioremediation by stimulation.  But what we are doing now is to till the soil and expose it to sunlight so that the sunlight can breakdown part of the soil while others evaporates to the atmosphere. But after tilling we apply a chemical call BIOSOLVE to help enhance the effectiveness and the population of crude oil degrading organisms.

 What is the content of the Biosolve and what will it be after the degradation?

The Biosolve is a non-hazardous chemical and it will remain neutral

Sir was there anything like Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) before the commencement of this project?

Yes

The workers working with you where are they from and was anything done to know the state of their health before engaging them?

We had to employ the local people as a way of compensating them. In the site we have six supervisors and seven security men working with us who are from the community and we checked their health status before we started engaging them for the work and they receive treatment every morning before they start their daily work.  

How long is the project going to take and is it in connection with UNEP Report?

The original plan for this pilot remediation project will take 40-45days and this project is entirely different from the UNEP Report 

How many contractors are handling this project and how many local contractors are involved?

We have twelve local contractors and few from SPDC. NOSDRA do come to supervise what is going on here.

Testimonies by Chief Clement at Goi Community

I am from this community but I have turned out to be a refugee in my own community due to oil spillage. I lost my investment, my fish ponds, Bakery, my building to oil spill. I have gone to court to seek for justice and the case is still on. Shell blames all the spills in Ogoniland to bunkering but that is not true, but as a result of equipment failures. The pipelines that transport crude oil to the export terminal in Bonny Island is more than 50 years old, yet no pipeline integrity test nor environmental impact evaluation has been done.

Please I want to advise that you people should not be carried away with the so called pilot remediation that is going on on the spill site now. It is not being done the appropriate way, you will agree with me that they are not doing anything meaningful at the site even Shell themselves confirmed that the pollution has contaminated up to 15 feet deep down to the soil. What you see them excavating now is not up to 2 feet deep down the soil.

This project they call pilot remediation, I calls it deceptive remediation, and they just want to use this one to claim the glory they don’t have. You will see that the whole world will hear that Shell has cleaned up Ogoniland for this rubbish they are doing here. Our government too should be watchful because I am afraid that they will even help Shell to tell the whole world that Shell has just met up with their Corporate Social Responsibility.

Key findings from the field

At the field we observed:

i.                    That Ogoniland is badly polluted as claimed by UNEP report

ii.                  That the Ogoni people breath hydrocarbon, inhales hydrocarbon, sleep in hydrocarbon, eat hydrocarbon, drink hydrocarbon and when they dies they are buried in hydrocarbon.

iii.                That there is no potable drinking water for the people

iv.                Agriculture has lost it value

v.                  That there is food shortage

vi.                That the people suffers from unknown ailments

vii.              That what Shell calls pilot remediation is a deceptive remediation

viii.            That there is still regular oil spill despite the fact that Ogoni oil has been left under the soil for more than two decades now.

ix.                That the impacted people have not been compensated.

Recommendations by the Students’ Environmental Assembly Nigeria

i.                    UNEP Report should be implemented without delay

ii.                  Crude oil pipelines passing through Ogoniland should be relocated

iii.                Compensation should be paid adequately

iv.                Shell should be brought to book

v.                  Oil should be left in the soil completely

SEAN FUPRE HAS INAUGURATED NEW EXECUTIVES

On the 30^th of May, 2014 saw the inauguration of the newly elected executives of Federal University of Petroleum Resources Chapter of the Students Environmental Assembly Nigeria, at their organized workshop that was tagged pioneering environmental justices which started at 12.20pm. The same event marked the graduation ceremony of some of the out gone executives whom were honoured with an environmental stewardship certificates for being members of SEAN. 

In his opening speech the out gone Coordinator, Yakubu M. Praise thanked all the participants for their presence. He noted that SEAN has made him very useful to the society, that serving in SEAN as a coordinator exposed him to different personalities and different issues. He thanked Barr. Chima Williams for not allowing this vision of SEAN dies a natural death as at the time the vision came to him. He also thanked Ubrei-Joe, M. Mariere for selling this idea to his predecessor Osigbeme Irene who was the pioneer coordinator of SEAN FUPRE. Yakubu did not end it there but went on to also thank Prof. Rim Ruke, Engr. (Dr) Ofulagba for their roles as staff advisers and support for the programme. The former coordinator urged the new executives to be dedicated to the struggles for environmental justice and also discharge their duties effectively.

Dr. (Mrs) Ogheleka of Chemistry department in FUPRE, in her Goodwill message, she urged all the participants to treat the environment fairly because the environment gives back to us what we give to it. Our attitude towards to environment is poor said Mrs Ogheleka. She also noted that we are taking from the environment more than what it can replenish. Speaking further she said that people have refused to tell the truth most especially the government and Multinational Corporations that drilled oil from the environment to a state of no repairs. She also lamented the attitude of the Corporations towards the environment and to researchers that want to offer help to the environment through research. She said that Shell has refused them access to data an act Shell described as a way of indicting their integrity.

The first Speaker Mr. Titigbe Onyeka of SEAN DELSU who is the current Coordinator of the Unit gave an exposition into what SEAN is all about, its activities, mission statement, aim and its work. He noted that ADVOCACY is the only weapon SEAN uses for her work and he noted also that the tactics of SEAN are sensitizing, campaigning, petitioning, mobilizing, pressurizing, informing and negotiating. Speaking further, Onyeka noted that the reasons why we advocate in SEAN is that  we are dissatisfy with the state of our environment, dissatisfaction with the impunity in our environment and also dissatisfaction with the dislocation of our people from their resources and their environment. Titgbe noted also that all members of SEAN must use the SWOT analysis to analyze the effective of their campaigns to make corrections when necessary. He concluded by saying that before SEAN meeting commences there is need to asked the following questions to know if all the people present are in conformity with the vision of SEAN. Do you believe in the conservation, preservation, protection and sustainability of the environment? Do you understand that the Eco-system is a human Eco-system? Does it occur to you that you have the rights to a protected environment? Do you agree that an environmental right is the foundation of every other rights? Do you know that you can contribute towards the preservation and sustainability of the environment?

The HOD of Environmental Science of FUPRE, Dr. Christopher Onosemuode gave a mind blowing presentation. In addressing the students on the topic tagged Environmental Heritage, he noted that this social aspect of the environment is what promotes the culture of environmental protection in our society today. He said environmental heritage refers to people’s connection to the land and how their own cultural heritage is tied to the geography they inhabit. Speaking further he also said that the land provides natural resources needed for survival and people need to plant crops, farm and collect water in order to keep on living. Dr. Christopher noted that the dynamics of environmental heritage are Environmental Determinism, Environmental Possibilism, and Environmental Determinisim. Explaining further he said environmental determinism stands for what the environment dictate to us. Environmental Possibilism entails what man dictate to the environment. Environmental Probabilism is what the environment dictates to man and at the same time man dictates to the environment as well. He further noted that Environmental Probabilism is the aspect that brought about technological advancement where man can tend to adjust to environmental changes. He cited a case of rain and how man made umbrella and rain coat to adjust to these changes in the environmental. Another example he gave was the ability of to clean up an oil spill from the environment.

Concluding Dr. Christopher urged the students to be studious in their studies and invest their time and energy in developing technological skills that can contribute to saving the environment.

A playlet followed immediately after the presentation of Dr. Christopher. The two minutes drama showed to participants that the reason why our environment is dirty is because of the culture, attitude and orientation of people. It also revealed that if people can change their orientation about the way they treat the environment, then the environment will be safer. 

The third presentation, The State of the Niger Delta Environment: The Role of the Youths was taken by Ubrei-Joe M. Mariere, Project Assistant Democracy Outreach of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria and former National Coordinator Students Environmental Assembly Nigeria. He began by saying that so delighted to have been saddled with this responsibility to take the key note address at this great meeting where another sets of graduates from the youth plat form for environmental justice “Students Environmental Assembly, Nigeria” will be given the mantle of representation to dish out what they have acquired from this great body to the society. Mariere also said that “One thing that has pushed us into pursuing this cause we fight for is the Niger Delta question is the massive degradation of the region which led to great resistance by some activist who later gave their lives to the struggle for a better, safe and productive Niger Delta”. He noted that Niger Delta region of Nigeria is one of the most blessed deltas in the world, in human, material and natural resources.  To further buttress his point he noted that the Niger Delta region is made up of 9 States of the Nigerian Federation namely Abia, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa. Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers States. These States collectively made up of a population of about 20 million people.

Speaking further the former National Coordinator of SEAN pointed out that “what the degradation in this region has caused are poor condition of life, unemployment, rape and prostitution, environmental damages, sudden and disastrous deaths, breeding ground for criminality, bribery and corruption, violence against women, drop out from school (Most especially girls), and youth restiveness”.

Ubrei-Joe, also said that youth have both special concerns and special responsibilities in relation to the environment and that a number of environmental risks and hazards disproportionately affect young people, who have to live for an extended period with the deteriorating environment bequeathed to them by earlier generations. 

Speaking further Mariere said that the contributions of young people in helping to address the Niger Delta Environmental Problem range from, advocacy,  public enlightenment, research to actual demonstration for the protection of vital environmental resources, planting trees or getting involved in the development of solar technologies, get into government, take leadership roles, rallies/campaigns, field trips, and also reading wide.

In concluding his presentation, Ubrei-Joe said that this struggle will be empowers young people to engage in new forms of action and activism that will generate effective responses to ecological challenges and noted also that trainings and capacity building workshops has helped  in awareness creation in institutions of higher learning and communities where youth are important instruments for development. He urged young people to go into politics and take leadership roles and also strive to implement the above recommendations for effective campaign to save the Niger Delta Environment. 

Atake Enade Cadmus, former Environmental Campaigner in-Chief of SEAN DELSU chapter and currently a staff of Health of Mother Earth Foundation took the forth presentation on the topic “Environmental Advocacy”. Speaking he noted that advocacy represents the series of actions taken and issues highlighted to fight for a particular cause that will help the less privileged. He also said that Environmental Advocacy involves both protecting the public from environmental hazards and protecting the natural world and that advocates organize a group around a cause and work to implement changes that have a lasting and positive effect. Cadmus also the following budget advocacy, health advocacy, ideological advocacy, interest-group advocacy, legislative advocacy, media advocacy, and special education advocacy as the different types of advocacy.

The former campaigner of SEAN in DELSU further stated that, an environmental advocate is someone who speaks on behalf of the environment, someone with the interest of the environment at heart, he preserve, conserve and defend and fight for the right of the environment. And stated also that the reasons why we advocate for the environment is to preserve, conserve and protect the environment for sustainability sake from degradation and pollution, advocacy in all its forms seeks to ensure that people, particularly those who are most vulnerable in society, are able to have their voices heard on issues that are important to them, defend and Safeguard their rights, Have their views and wishes genuinely considered when decisions are being made about their lives and the environment. Atake said that the tools of advocacy are, the use of Social Media, enlightenment campaigns and seminars to educate the people on their basic environmental rights, media campaigns, public speaking, commissioning and publishing research or conducting exit, lobbying (often by lobby groups) is a form of advocacy where a direct approach is made to legislators on an issue which plays a significant role in modern politics or in the struggle for Environmental Justice.

Atake noted also that for one to become an environmental advocate one must choose a cause, join an activist group, get involved, and rally others to your cause. In Conclusion, Cadmus urged all the participants to identify with SEAN to become an environmental advocate. He also urged the students to always be studious in order to be outstanding in the struggle for environmental justice.

Questions and Answers Section

Some of the questions that came from the participants are:

1. Since Oil is causing a lot of havoc what can be done to conserve it?
2. Now you said oil companies are irresponsible, what is your advice for young people like us? Are you saying we should not work with oil companies and if we do what should be our roles?

Answer

Q1: The possible way of conserving the oil is to leave the oil in the soil.

Q2: There is speedy transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy and oil business will no longer be lucrative. So my advice is for young people to seek cleaner and greener jobs that can be sustainable and environmental friendly. The only way one can influence the Oil measures as their staff is when you are at the head of affairs not as a junior worker because the reward of any resistance against ones employer is sack.

Inauguration

The newly executive were invited for inauguration. During the inauguration Ubrei-Joe noted that the inauguration marked his second inauguration of executive of SEAN FUPRE first as the National Coordinator in 2011 and second as a staff of ERA/FoEN. He also said that the tempo has been so high and urged the new executive not to bring down the temple and the solid foundation Irene and Yakubu have laid down but to build on it. On that noted Mariere inaugurated the executive and invited Yakubu to do a proper handing over.

After the inauguration, Environmental Stewardship Certificates were presented to the graduated members of SEAN. The certificate signifies reward for been an advocate for a save environment.

 

The new executives can be found below.

1. Miss Ennyinaya Melody                                 Coordinator
2. Mr. Isaiah Obaro Wilson                                 Deputy-Coordinator
3. Miss Araenye Ifeoma                                      Secretary General
4. Mr. Anamandi Abednego                               Environmental Campaigner In-Chief
5. Mr. Akande Nurudeen                                    Financial Secretary
6. Mr. Azubuike Christopher                              Programmes Director 1
7. Mr. Augoye Godswill                                     Programmes Director 11
8. Mr. Taidy Christian                                         Sanitation Officer
9. Miss Nwanna Jacinta                                      Ass. Secretary General

Vote of thanks and closing prayer were said at 3.30 pm.